Who is on the 2024 Maine primary ballot? What to expect at the polls March 5
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AUGUSTA--On Tuesday, March 5, voters in Maine will take to the polls to cast their vote for who they want to be on their party’s ticket. But who will be on the ballot with state primaries already underway and some candidates out of the race?
How do I know which ballot to take?
Maine’s 2024 primaries will be held under the new semi-open primary law. This means that unenrolled voters can participate in any party primary without enrolling in the party. However, they may only vote in one party’s primary.
Voters may change their party enrollment at least 15 days before the primary. That would generally mean the last day for Maine voters to change their party enrollments would be Monday, February 19th, but that was Presidents’ Day - a federal holiday. This means most voters who wish to change their party enrollment in Maine should’ve done so by Feb. 16.
If voters enroll in a new party, they may not change their party enrollment for three months.
Who is on the Republican ballot?
There are five candidates listed on Maine’s Republican primary ballot.
Pastor Ryan L. Binkley
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis
Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley
Businessman Vivek Ramaswamy
Former President Donald Trump
Doug Burgum had previously qualified for the ballot but asked to be removed after withdrawing over 70 days before Election Day. Therefore, he will not appear on the ballot.
Who is on the Democratic ballot?
There are two candidates listed on Maine’s Democratic primary ballot.
President Joe Biden
US Congressman Dean Philips, D-Minn
There is also one declared write-in candidate: Stephen Lyons.
Will candidates who have dropped out of the race still be on the ballot?
Candidates who have dropped out of the race but are listed on the sample ballot will appear on the ticket. For example, Ramaswamy dropped out of the Republican primary last month but will still appear on Maine’s Republican primary ballot.
If the Maine Department of the Secretary of State receives notice from any campaign that has withdrawn from the race, the Department will notify municipal clerks of the withdrawal, and notice will be sent with absentee ballots, posted at voting sites, and posted on their website. However, no names would be physically removed from the ballot.
Where can I see the complete list of candidates on my ballot?
Maine’s Secretary of State is offering sample ballots on their website.
You can find a sample Democratic primary ballot here.
You can find a sample Republican primary ballot here.
Who is on the Maine special election ballot?
This year, on March 5, South Portland residents will be able to participate in a special election to fill a vacancy for a state representative’s unexpired term. The term will end in December of 2024.
This election to elect a state representative to finish the term for District 122 will be between Democrat Matthew Beck, not-enrolled candidate Tristam Howard, and unenrolled candidate Brendan Willams. You can find the sample ballot here.
What does ranked-choice voting look like on my ballot?
This year will be Maine’s first presidential primary elections as ranked choice voting elections. This means that voters can rank their choice of candidate.
On the ballot, there will be a column for as many choices as there are candidates. To rank, voters fill in the first column for their first-choice candidate, then the second column for their second-choice candidate, and so on. Instructions will be printed on each ballot.
While both the Democratic and Republican ballots will offer ranked choice voting, Republican Party officials have said that the only result that matters to them is the candidate that wins the most votes during the first round of counting.
While the Secretary of State’s office said that the law requires them to run a ranked-choice run-off if no candidate wins over 50 percent of the vote, spokesperson Emily Cook said it’s up to the parties to decide what to do with the results as each party chooses to how to allocate their delegates in presidential primaries.
This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Who is on the Maine primary ballot in 2024?
